Thursday, June 16, 2011

French health authorities have ordered a recall of hamburger patties sold by a German supermarket chain after five children were infected by the E. coli bacteria.

The regional health agency said there was no immediate sign of a link with the deadly E. coli outbreak in Germany in recent weeks.

The health agency for the Nord Pas-de-Calais region said the five children were hospitalized with infections stemming from E. coli. The infections cause severe diarrhea.

It said that four of the children ate frozen ground beef patties made in French factory and sold by German supermarket chain Lidl. Authorities ordered the patties recalled pending further investigation.

The beef for the patties came from farms in France, Germany and the Netherlands, said the French manufacturer that supplied the meat for the patties, SEB.

The recall affects about 10 tons of meat, Guy Lamorlette of SEB told The Associated Press. He said the patties were analyzed before being delivered to supermarket distributors.

The family of one of the hospitalized children brought a box of the patties to health authorities for analysis,said Jerome Gresland, the co-director of Lidl France.

Elsewhere in Europe on Thursday, Germany's disease control centre reported one more patient died in Germany's E. coli outbreak. (read more)